If you're extremely egocentric and live underwater, does that make you Shellfish, instead of selfish? .... okay... I'll go away now...

@ backfirejr: XD lmao, there's always one in the crowd...

getting back on topic- why are you people so worried on what others think about you? if that's all you're concerned on what others think then yes i would consider that selfish because you're focusing on how others will react and not necessarily the deed, but if you're doing that out of the goodness of your heart then who cares what other people think? and yes there are compassionate people out there, who give and expect nothing in return but they're a dying breed, sad to say...

Do people really do good things because they are just generally good people and have no ulterior motives?

I've been lead to believe that everyone can be considered narcissists. why? because if you think about it, everything you do, ultimately benefits yourself.

if I see a homeless man on the street, begging for money, it makes me uncomfortable. this is due to a simple but complex emotion called empathy, which all human beings have. now, if I give him money, some people would think that I am a very nice person, and very selfless. however, this is not the case. if you really analyze and look at it, I could be doing this for two reasons; 1] to ease the uncomfortableness that I feel, and to promote my own positive emotions because I have realized that I just made a difference in someone else's life, or 2] to boost my ego and self image, because other people can see that I have just aided a person in need

and this kind of thinking can be applied to any situation. (the idea that we do everything to ultimately benefit ourselves)

say I want to volunteer at a charity. I want to do this because I'm just a genuinely good person, who wishes to save the environment by picking up litter or donating money to help clean up streets/bodies of water. but really, I could just want to save the earth because I don't want myself, or my kids or grandkids to die because of the poor condition the environment is in, because my genes must survive and be forever passed down to future generations. or maybe I have to apply to college soon, and it would just look good on the application, the fact that I have done charity work in my own free time.

what do you guys think?

Omg are u really 13? if you are i will say ur very smart and keep it going thinking like that

And i agree with u :)

It's hard to believe, but there are many kids that are 12-13 years old on the internet that are actually intelligent and know what they're talking about.

I help people when I can. After all that has been happening around the world lately, the greed, selfish acts of some people, I want to contribute and have others believe there are still good individuals out there.

I thought the same thing myself. Their really isn't such a thing as "selfless" it does serve as a ego booster,or a feel good action.
BUT that isn't to say being selfish is a bad thing people are defined by their wants.
I don't even think that this needs to be said. As long as the outcome is positive just let them have their ego booster.

Oh look it’s the, even when we are doing good we are still secretly despicable and selfish beings. Oh look at how awful we all are, isn't it awful? Yes we are humans, we have feelings and tend to feel thing in response to things. What, you want to feel bad, or not feel anything at all when you do something?

No, actually you are right; the only truly good beings are our future robot overlords. Which I for one welcome.

We are always selfish in some way, but sometimes we just start to be unselfish for another person's gain, and that can be painful and can not be. I don't think there is a person out there that is "only" unselfish, but you can be selfless about minor things like these examples.

a):"Person1: I'm hungry. Person2: Oh, I have this piece of *Insert food here* you can have it." Like that

b):"Person2: *is in danger.* Person1: *Goes to save the other person for no reason besides saving the other person, and therefore endangering him-/herself.*

That's what I call a person that has the right type of unselfishness even though the b, is a pretty foolish guy/girl he's is unselfish, The other type is

a):Actually this has is sorta the same as b) when the other person is in danger. Now lets say there is 100 people in danger for the prize of this persons life, even though he know's it's the right thing to do, and probably will get forced to do it, it's not right by any means, because as I said, this sort of unselfishness will only hurt the person, and actually in this it will do it physically -.- I think this is one of those stupid moments when people try to force you to do something because it's the right thing to do, it's stupid, never take the freedom of choosing your own path from you, if you want to save them for your life, I would not think that you are in the right mind set, every person is selfish as I said, everyone wants to gain something out of something, even if you don't admit it, you are selfish in one way or another, that's just a fact.

Actually if I were in this situation, I would let them get me and set free 100 people, but that's not why I an unselfish, I just don't value my life as such, I know while saying this I am an idiot, but proud of it, I would get myself hurt and that would be the end of it. You know people always say that men do stupid things:p

b): "Person1: *inner dialogue* I like this person but my friend does too, I'll just help him/her out because "I'm a good friend""

And that is what bugs me when it comes to selfishness/unselfishness, that this will not gain you anything but pain, and mental at that, and it's the worst kind of pain -.- If someone were to do this they would just be plain stupid, be selfish about these sort of moments, because or else it will ruin you. Yes you might lose a few friendships or something like that, this way, but what's important to you as a "person" will stick to you forever and if that friend would be a "good friend" she/he would accept this fact, sure a relationship is hard to deal with in these situations, but there's always if one get's rejected and one accepted, it will work out in the end. Pain is always in this situation, but its worth it, because the pain that you would suffer helping that one friend would be much greater.

Selfless acts tend to be un-intentional. Parents I think can be selfless, but they do so without realizing it. I keep my 3 yr old from touching the hot stove so he doesn't burn himself. And the motivation is solely to protect him. Selfless but un-intentionally so. It's simply what I do to keep them alive and give them a chance to grow up and live their own lives. And it would be wrong to say I gain nothing. I get to be proud of my children and experience life with them. But that isn't why I protect them. It's an instinctual reaction, selfless though it may be. I would kill anyone trying to hurt my kids, or throw myself in front of them to stop them from being harmed. And "what's in it for me" would never cross my mind.